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Fighters hit back at cage bout critics
CITY fighters have defended a brutal sport which doctors have described as "human cockfighting" and want banning.
CITY fighters have defended a brutal sport which doctors have described as "human cockfighting" and want banning.The British Medical Association (BMA) has condemned cage fighting, which involves two fighters battling through a maximum of five five-minute rounds in a cage, using a mixture of of martial arts.
The sport is hugely popular in the US and is heading the same way in this country.
And there have been several meets in Peterborough, with the Intensive Fighting Cage Rage event being held at Bushfield Sports Centre, in Orton Goldhay.
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The last event saw more than 500 fans pack into the sports centre to witness eight battles which led to blood, sweat and tears as fighters battled it out in mixed martial arts scraps and kick boxing bouts.
A report released by the BMA this week extended its call for a complete ban on amateur and professional boxing to include mixed martial arts competitions.
The BMA's head of ethics and science, Dr Vivienne Nathanson, said: "Ultimate fighting can be extremely brutal and has been described as 'human cockfighting'. It can cause traumatic brain injury, joint injuries and fractures.
"This kind of competition hardly constitutes a sport – the days of gladiator fights are over and we should not be looking to resurrect them. As doctor,s we cannot stand by while violent fighting tournaments are allowed to take place."
The BMA has campaigned for a ban on boxing since 1982.
However, fighters today defended their sport.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Dave Waters (28) has been training since 2000 and had his first fight in 2003. He said: "I've never had an injury from MMA. I think the BMA are just trying to create some spin on something they know very little about.
"Because it's held in a cage people misunderstand it as evil. But it's purely a safety issue.
"It can look intimidating but the cage is for safety – so you don't fall out or get tangled in the ropes.
"MMA is actually much safer than several Olympic sports, including boxing and judo."
Patrick Owens, who recently fought in Peterborough, said: "I can't understand why it's described as dangerous. There are paramedics on hand and referees. It is a lot safer than Thai boxing or boxing.
"A boxer can get hit in the head 20 or 30 times in a boxing match, but after three punches in MMA you will be knocked out. The injuries are a lot worse in boxing because the brain is getting rattled around in the head.
"A fight can end without a punch being thrown because it combines wrestling as well."
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